This coming Thursday, May 1st, churches and individuals across our city will be joining together for the Annual National Day of Prayer gathering in downtown Boston. Sheila Donegan, the UniteBoston Journalist, had the opportunity to sit down with Latonya Brown to hear more of the history behind this year’s event.

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We have a rich history of prayer as a nation. The National Day of Prayer was first signed into law by President Harry Truman on April 17th, 1952. He asked that the people of the United States would come together on this day and collectively turn our hearts to God in prayer and meditation. But the call to pray goes back much further than this. In fact, days of prayer have been called for in the United States since 1775, when the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer as the new nation was forming.

In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, “From General Washington’s struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future.”

As a country, we are celebrating the 63rd year of this event with over 40,000 gatherings across the United States. LaTonya Brown, this year’s coordinator for Massachusetts, told us that this year the focus is on mobilizing and equipping the Body of Christ to pray for sustained worldwide revival, reformation and restoration. LaTonya shared that in Massachusetts, we will be joining the millions across our country as we pray and seek the face of God on behalf of our city, state, and nation. There are currently fifteen prayer gatherings scheduled across the Commonwealth.

There will be two strategic events in the city of Boston:

National Day of Prayer Noonday Prayer Gathering at the State House